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Georgia 'doorstep' bill would save babies, supporters say

Leaving Baby Grace on a house doorstep tucked inside a basket is better than throwing her away in a Dumpster.

Safe Place for Newborns Act

WHAT: Georgia House Bill 360 would allow mothers to voluntarily leave their newborns, no more than 1 week old, with staff at a medical facility -- not a private doctor or dentist office -- without facing child cruelty charges. The state then would take custody of the newborn and refund the medical facility.

At least 35 states already have similar laws.

STATUS: The House passed the bill. It currently is in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Track the bill's progress by logging onto the Georgia General Assembly Web site www.legis.state.ga.us/Legis/ .

But in Georgia, even a mother who abandons a newborn in a safe place still could be prosecuted.

Georgia law encourages secret, possibly deadly abandonment of newborns like Grace, say supporters of a bill designed to change that.

For three years, a group of legislators have pushed for a bill that would let mothers leave their newborns at designated medical facilities without fear of prosecution -- within a week of the baby's birth.

The goal: prevent injuries and deaths of abandoned newborns not as lucky as Baby Grace.

A garbage man saved the 7-pound, 14-ounce newborn early Monday in Savannah, seconds before tossing her with the Dumpster trash into his truck.

She is in good condition and was released from the hospital Thursday to a foster family.

At least 35 states including Texas, Alabama and Mississippi already have similar ''safe place for newborns'' laws.

Florida and Illinois even allow unharmed newborns to be left at manned fire stations.

The Georgia bill has passed the House and is in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

If it becomes law, the mother could get her child back within a few days after dropping it off.

If she failed to reclaim the child, the state would take custody and begin the process of finding an adoptive home.

Supporters say the measure would save infants who otherwise would be left to die.

''This abandoned baby in Savannah was found. But how many haven't been found?'' said Amy Hughes, director of government and business relations for Memorial Health University Medical Center. ''This law would allow us to give the baby the necessary medical care and help, so the baby could go on to lead a healthy life.''

Opponents say such laws promote abandonment of unwanted babies, strip fathers of parental rights and make it difficult to find out birth families' medical histories.

State Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, said he has questions he wants answered before making the measure a law.

''How do we know if the father doesn't want the baby? How do we know the baby doesn't have AIDS?'' Johnson said. ''Who is to know the baby isn't a kidnapped baby?''

Evidence of physical abuse would make the mother liable for legal action, according to the bill.

The mother also would have to show proof of her identity, if available, and provide her name and address.

The bill also should provide for follow-up with the birth mother and support services to prevent reoccurrence, said Yvette Johnson-Hagins, executive director of Greenbriar Children's Center Inc. in Savannah. The emergency shelter serves more than 400 children a year -- from infants to 21-year-olds.

''It (the bill) appears to be a very humane option to prevent the situation that we have seen with Baby Grace,'' Johnson-Hagins said. ''But we wouldn't want local hospitals to become a dumping ground.''

Public safety and crime reporter Anne Hart can be reached at 652-0374 or ahart@ savannahnow.com